Openning

History

JULY, 1891OUR MONTHLY CHRONICLE.OPENING OF ST. ALBAN'S NEW MISSION AT CARDIFF. Ten years ago the flat land just outside the town of Cardiff, known as the East Moors,was, with the exception of a few cultivated fields attached to the farms of Pengam and the Splot, a sloppy waste stretching its dreary length to the shores of the Severn estuary, the monotony of the scene being broken only by ditches and gates. But at Cardiff great changes occur-in the course of ten years, and the past decade has seen this low-lying wilderness fall a prey to the building contractors, who have mapped it out into streets and covered it with a bewildering maze of houses, shops, taverns and Board schools. The various "sects," and notably the Anglicans. have been prompt in erecting places of worship in this new district, and the Church has of course been stirring. None too soon, for the many Catholics, who inhabit the East Moors are a long way from St. Peter's, Roath, and many of them belong to the class who consider the distance of a mile an ample excuse for missing Mass. This excuse can no longer be urged, for the school-chapel of St. Alban was dedicated to the Divine Service on Wednesday, the 24th Tune. The building, a very substantial and handsome one, was erected by the Rev. John Bailey, of the Fathers of Charity, who have charge of the new mission, situated in the still unfinished Swinton Street, on the very margin of the advancing tide of house-building. In ten years more it will probably be in the thick of this quickly-growing suburb. The lower storey is intended to serve as an infant school, and the upper will be used as a chapel until such time as the growth of the population will warrant the erection of a permanent church on the adjoining piece of land which has been secured for this purpose. At half-past ten on the morning in question the ceremony of dedication commenced. His Lordship the Bishop of Newport and Menevia, assisted in the function by the clergy of St Peter's and other reverend fathers, first made a tour of the chapel, sprinkling it and the congregation with holy water, after which the Litany of the saints was chanted. This was followed by an address from his Lordship on the great dignity of St. John Baptist, whose feast was then being celebrated, and the privileges and duties which are attached to the possession of a new church and school such as these. The Bishop reminded his hearers that St, John Baptist's day was to the summer something like what Christmas Day was to the winter; that is to say, a great central Christian feast, the observances of which were to some extent leavened with pre-Christian traditions which the Church had hallowed arid Christianised. The Pagans celebrated at Christmas time the sun's victory over the powers of darkness, and at mid-summer his supreme triumph and the attainment of the zenith of his glory. This adoration of the powers of nature was by the earliest Christian missionaries transferred to an object worthy of man's worship, ..namely, the Sun of justice, Christ the Lord. Referring to the question of education, his Lordship said that it was difficult to foresee what would be the ultimate outcome of the latest phase of the controversy as to free schools; but one thing was certain, the Catholic Church never would or could forego her claim to direct the education of her children. The Bishop then vested for Mass, with the Rev. Fathers Cormack and Harrison as deacon and sub-deacon. This, the first Mass said at St. Alban's, was offered up for the welfare of those who had aided in the establishment of the mission. The musical portion of the service was under the direction of the Very Rev. Mgr. Williams, V,G. At the close of Mass, his Lordship published the usual indulgence to those present, and the function concluded with Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. St. Alban's Chapel is very tasteful and devotional in its internal appointments. The altar and reredos are those which formerly belonged to the Lady Chapel at St. Peter's-white, with monograms in blue and gold. On the wall over the back of the altar is the Calvary which used to hang in old St. David's; and at either side are fine images of Our Blessed Lady and St. John Evangelist, from the same church. A large number of the foremost Catholics of Cardiff attended the ceremony, and among them were the Marquis and Marchioness of Bute. In future there will be Mass every Sunday at St. Alban's, and only three Masses at St. Peter's-at eight, half-past nine, and eleven.